Android 5.0 Lollipop smartphones and tablets running version 6.0 Marshmallow and version 7.0 Nougat will get the update, meaning that half of all Android users will have access. Indeed, Android L is used by a quarter of all Android handsets around the world.

Google Assistant Android L

UK users who have their language set as English will be able to use Google Assistant from today, while Spanish, Italian, Japanese, German, French, Portuguese and Korean also supported.

Google Assistant launched last year on the Google Pixel smartphone and his expanded to other devices to give them AI features and voice activated commands.

Google competes with Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana and Amazon’s Alexa in the AI assistant space. Amazon has launched something similar to the Home in the form of the Amazon Echo and is now working to integrate its technology into Android smartphones and even connected vehicles, representing a significant threat to Google.

Steve McCaskill is editor of TechWeekEurope and ChannelBiz. He joined
as a reporter in 2011 and covers all areas of IT, with a particular interest in telecommunications, mobile and networking, along with sports technology.